7 Meals With Greek Olives

Think of Greek olives and you will almost certainly think of Horiatiki– the infamous Greek salad of olives, tomatoes, cucumber and feta. On a hot summer’s day, this is delicious, light and refreshing. But there are a myriad other uses for olives – in cooking, in salads or just enjoyed as they are as part of a mix of mezze or pre-dinner nibbles.

A salad Nicoise would not be the same without a good sprinkling of olives to accompany the tuna, eggs and green beans.

Olives are an essential component in pasta puttanesca, along with tomatoes, anchovies and capers. They make fantastic bruschetta, either sliced with tomatoes and feta, or blitzed into a punchy tapenade with capers, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Rub the toasted bread with garlic and smear with good quality olive oil before finishing with your topping of choice and diving in.

Recipes for Eliopita, or olive pie, vary hugely, from an olive bread to a filo pastry parcel filled with olives and golden cooked onions.

Olives are a classic ingredient in chicken stews across the Mediterranean, from Morrocan chicken tagines, slowly cooked with preserved lemons and onions, to Italian chicken cacciatore with tomatoes, parsley and wine.

Of course, olives can be added to all manner of dishes, from being strewn over pizzas and frittatas to being stuffed into sandwiches with feta, tomatoes and lettuce to make a classic Greek lunchtime snack. They are delicious mixed with spring onions, hot chorizo and masses of tomatoes and parsley served with crusty bread.